


Rafter 104 Ranch

by velvetwastaken



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Farm/Ranch, F/M, Tumblr: levihanweek, the 104th kiddos are all horses and it makes me very happy, written in 3rd person present tense
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-08
Updated: 2015-06-21
Packaged: 2018-01-24 00:18:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1584710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/velvetwastaken/pseuds/velvetwastaken
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Levi is a reclusive cowboy with a few skeletons in his closet. When he takes a job starting colts, the biggest challenge isn't the broncs, it's his rough and tumble co worker...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. In Which Levi Starts A New Job

**Author's Note:**

> Forgive me for my sins/spelling mistakes. They're practically the same thing right?

The steps up to the loft apartment creak under Levi’s feet as he makes his way to his new home. This time last year, he would never have imagined that he’d be back working on a ranch. He thought he had left those roots behind. But things never turn out quite like you want them to, and his last bank statement told him he couldn’t afford to turn down a paying job.

He opens the door to the loft and his heart drops. When his new boss, Erwin Smith, told him the loft had been vacant for a few years, he had braced himself, but the amount of dust coating every surface is like something out of a nightmare. At least the tell tale signs of a barn cat means that the vermin would have been kept in check. Levi heaves a sigh and places his duffle bag and backpack in a corner out of the way. It’s lucky that his first day on the job isn’t officially until tomorrow, because it’s going to take the rest of today just to make this place livable again.

In no time at all, Levi scrounges up assorted cleaning supplies from the barn downstairs to supplement the paltry inventory he found under the loft’s bathroom sink. He dons his bandana, an apron, some rubber gloves, and gets to work.

Several hours later finds the loft once again looking fit for human habitation, if not quite to Levi’s personal standard of cleanliness. But he’d have time in the coming weeks to really get it sparkling. It would do for now. Besides, he’s run out of bleach. He’s only just sat down at the table with a glass of water when he hears thundering feet on the stairs. A moment later a young woman bursts in to the loft, her messy brown hair doing everything it can to escape her ponytail, and her glasses ever so slightly askew. They stare at each other for a moment. Finally, Levi motions with his hand.

“Come on in,” he says.

She straightens out her glasses. “Thanks. Guess I should have knocked. Erwin didn’t think you were here yet,” she says.

Levi doesn’t reply, just takes a sip of his water, wondering who the hell this woman is. As if on cue she marches over to him, hand outstretched. “I’m Hange, by the way. Hange Zoe.”

Levi take her hand and give it a firm shake. “Levi.”

“Levi...?”

“Just Levi is fine,” he says.

She smirks, glancing at the table. “Okay. I’ll just call you Mr. Clean then, shall I?” 

Levi rolls his eyes. The evidence of his cleaning spree is on the table and he’s still wearing his bandana and apron. He doesn’t deem her jab worthy of a response, however, so he just takes another sip of water.

She smiles. “Well, anyway. Erwin wanted me to come up here and spruce the place up for you, but you’ve beat me to it, it seems.” She walks over and takes a seat at the table. “So,” she says conversationally, “where’re ya from?”

Levi’s a bit taken aback by this woman and her blunt, forward personality. Normally, when asked any personal questions, he just defects them. But she’s caught him off guard, and he finds himself answering, “East coast most recently,” before he can stop himself.

“Long way from home then. I grew up around here. I’m Erwin’s neighbour actually, but I work for him in the summers.”

Levi just stares. Hange returns the stare, completely unperturbed by the awkward situation.

The seconds stretch on, and just when Levi is beginning to feel uncomfortable, Hange gets to her feet. “Well, It was absolutely delightful meeting you.” She strides over to the stairs and makes a little bow as she leave. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Mr. Clean.”

Levi stares after her for a while. Hange Zoe would be interesting company this summer, of that he was sure.

 

Even after years of early mornings, Levi still finds 6 AM to be an ungodly hour. But that’s the time they start work at Rafter 104 Ranch, apparently. Across the yard from the barn is an old machine shop, the unofficial base of operations for the ranch. Part of the building is still used to house every tool you could think of, but the rest has been renovated to be a halfway decent lunch room complete with a washroom and a kitchenette. Levi walks into the building and sees Erwin there already, sipping coffee at the table and making a list of tasks for the day. Beside him, looking like she just rolled out of bed, is Hange.

“Levi. Good morning,” says Erwin. He gesture to Hange, “This is -”

“We met yesterday,” says Hange groggily.

“Perfect, that saves some time. I’m going to go feed the cows. Levi, Hange’ll show you the horses. There’s twelve colts there, so you’ve got your work cut out for you.” Erwin downs the rest of his coffee and gets to his feet, patting Levi on the shoulder as he walks by.

Hange meanwhile has perked up a bit and is looking at Levi with renewed interest. “You’re going to be working with the colts?”

“Yes.”

“Huh. Erwin mentioned there would be a horse trainer coming this summer, but I didn’t think it was you.”

Levi raises his eyebrows, and she immediately backpedals, though it doesn’t sound sincere. “I mean, of course it’s you, why wouldn’t it be you. Horse trainer extraordinaire: Mr. Clean.”

Levi rolls his eyes. “Ha ha. You gonna show me these horses or not?”

She jumps to her feet and marches past him to the door. As she goes by he hears her mumble under her breath, “Just thought you’d be taller is all.”

Levi satisfies himself with glaring at the back of her head, somewhat higher than his own, as he follows her out of the shop.

 

 

A dozen colts mill about a small corral. Levi and Hange are both sitting on the top rail of the fence watching them. For Levi, this is an important part of starting young horses; seeing how they interact with each other, figuring out their personalities, and deciding what techniques will work for each individual horse. It’s a motley crew he’s got to work with; lots of colour, and extremes in height on both ends of the spectrum, from the pixie-like little gray mare, to a brown awkward-looking mammoth of a gelding. He immediately picks out his favourites: a solid blood bay gelding, and a tall black mare. They seem to have vastly different personalities, but Levi likes the look of them, plenty of potential there.

Hange had remained notably quiet while Levi did his evaluation. But he could feel her eyes going from him to the horses and back again repeatedly. She’s bursting to ask him something, but he remains silent, pretending to still be focused on the horses for few more minutes. Possibly because she’d called him short, he waits until she about to explode before breaking the silence.

“What,” he says.

“Which is your favourite?” she asks in a rush.

“I don’t pick favourites among my children.”

“But if you had to. If someone said, ‘Levi you can have one of these horses,’ which would you take?”

“I’d take that blood bay.”

“Yes!” Hange throws her arms in the air and almost falls of the fence in celebration, spooking two colts, a grullo and a blue roan, who had been snuffling curiously at Levi's boots.

“That’s my horse,” she explains, recovering her position on the fence as if nothing happened.

“And why am I starting your horse. Erwin hired me to start _his_ horses.”

“Well, Hunter is technically still Erwin’s but I’m going to convince him to sell.”

Levi almost smiles, but not quite. “I see. Well, the whole bunch looks good, but - Hunter, was it? Hunter’s got a bit of fire in him, you can see it in his eye.”

“So are you gonna start him first then?” asks Hange.

“Nope,” says Levi jumping down from the fence and heading back to the barn. “I’ll work with him last. That way I have something to look forward to.”

“Ah, saving the best for last, a ‘no dessert first’ philosophy, how very wise,” says Hange as she jumps down after him and sets off to do her own tasks. 

All the colts turn out to be pretty damn nice. Levi brings them into the barn in groups to brush and feed and get them used to being handled. Then he takes them one by one into the round pen where he sets the foundation of what they’ll need to know before working under saddle. How to move away from pressure, moving forward, sideways, backing up. Very basic maneuvers. A few horses turn out to be more impressive than he expected: that monstrously tall brown gelding, a stout palomino gelding, and a fiery little blaze-faced sorrel mare.

The shadows are starting to get long when Levi leads the last two colts into the barn, his two favourites, the tall black mare, and Hunter. He takes the mare to the round pen first, and it’s immediately apparent that she’s a star, out shining all the others with her athleticism. But she’s also a bit stubborn, slow to trust, and more than a little herd-bound. But those are minor complaints. Finally, he brings in Hunter. Levi’s a bit disappointed when it becomes obvious he’s not near as talented as the black mare, but he makes up for it ten times over with sheer try. No matter what Levi asks, the young horse makes an attempt, his attention always focused on Levi. Now that makes for a nice horse. It doesn’t matter if they have the ability to jump the moon if they aren’t willing to take their feet off the ground.

Levi adjust his posture, inviting the horse to come to the centre of the pen where he’s standing with the halter. It’s the greatest feeling in the world, to have a horse trot willingly up to you and want to be there. Levi smiles as he gently rubs the horse’s forehead.

“Wow, you’re smiling. Hunter really must be something.”

Levi looks over to see Hange leaning on the fence. She’s been doing her own thing all day, but she’d stop by and watch for a few minutes now and then. Levi puts the halter back on Hunter and leads him over to her.

“He’s not the most talented of the bunch, but he’s got the most heart.”

“Are any of them gonna buck you down when you go to ride them?” she ask mischievously.

Levi snorts. “Stranger things have happened, but I wouldn’t bet on it. This isn’t my first rodeo, you know.”

She smiles. “I kinda figured. Well, if you done with all the colts, we can crack the gate and let them out into the river pasture for the night.”

Together they lead Hunter back to the corral. As Levi turns him loose, Hange crosses to the far side to unchain the gate separating them from seemingly endless acres of open prairie.

“Come on, guys! The green grass is calling!” she shouts as she throws the gate wide open. The horses mill about a bit, until two of the goofier colts wander out tentatively. It’s like a switch goes off. Once they realize they can leave, all the other horses bolt for the gate, bucking and snorting, kicking up dirt and dust as they fly by Hange and out to the rolling hills beyond. Levi leans on the fence, halter still in hand and watches them run. There’s nothing more beautiful than a herd of horses at full gallop, even if it is a slightly uncoordinated herd of youngsters.

“Christ, what’d you do to those horses? They’re sure in a hurry to get the hell out of here!”

Hange strolls up to the fence, a walking disaster; she’s covered in the dirt the horses kicked up as they ran by. Dirt and something else -

“You’ve got shit on your glasses.”

“Yeah, I can see that. Thanks Mr. Clean,” she laughs.

“No problem, Shitty Glasses.”

Things might not have turned out how he wanted, but he had no cause to complain. The wide open prairie, a bunch of fantastic horses, and some very interesting company. Hange walks with him back to the barn, chatting away, wiping her glasses off on her shirt.

It’s going to be good summer.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp. 
> 
> (⊙﹏⊙✿)
> 
> I wanted to write something for Levihan week, and this was the best I could do. I'm sorry.  
> But I had fun writing it, so whatever. It's 2 am, I'll post it now before I can change my mind. Sorry for any mistakes. It's 2 am, did I mention?
> 
>  
> 
> Also, just as a disclaimer: I have chosen to interpret Hange Zoe as female, and also to spell her name like that. I have also chosen to leave Levi surname-less as I'm still in denial, and refuse to believe anything until he says it himself.  
> Fight me.
> 
>  EDIT: I guess his name really is Ackerman...


	2. In Which Levi and Hange Have a Day Off

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day trips aren't always as fun as they sound.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my. Sorry this took so long. I wrote it during spare moments at work, and then put off posting it FOREVER because of reasons. Anyways here it is. I'm sorry, forgive me.

The days blur together, dawn and dusk taking on a similar dream like quality until Levi can hardly distinguish one from the other. After a month, the routine at Rafter 104 becomes kind of cathartic, the monotony an old friend, reassuring.

Until today.

It was at Erwin's insistence that Levi has a few days off. But now even if he doesn't have to be up, Levi finds himself wide awake at half five. He lays there for a few moments, a part of his brain telling him he could just roll over and go back to sleep. Another part of his brain tells him he can sleep when he's dead. He heaves a great sigh, and winces as his feet hit the cold floor.

By six, he's showered, dressed, and enjoying the dregs of his breakfast, trying to make his tea last as long as possible in order to avoid having to find something to do for the rest of the day.

Thundering feet on the stairs to the loft announce the imminent arrival of Hange. Levi quickly abandons his tea and makes for the door, opening it a second before Hange can throw herself against it. The result is satisfying. Hange barrels into the room like a freight train, nearly kissing the floor boards when she fails to meet the resistance she had been expecting. She turns on Levi once she regains her balance, giving him a look of one betrayed. A ghost of a smile plays across Levi's face and he shrugs at her.

"Have a care, Four-eyes," he says, "I could have been sleeping."

"That was the point, an early morning wake up call, just for you!" She claps her hands together. "But whatever, you're already awake, which just means we can hit the road right away!"

Levi gives her a hard look, and she puts her hands up. "Maybe we've only known each other a little while, but I'm willing to bet you won't actually take a day off unless we get you off the property. So, as per Erwin, we're going on a day trip!"

Hange and Erwin definitely do not need to know that indeed Levi had been planning on working with the colts today, day off or not. But leaving the property for a few hours might actually be kind of nice.

"I suppose I can fit a little excursion into my schedule. Where're we going?" he asks as he moves to collect his wallet and hat.

"Ah, well that's a surprise now isn't it."

Levi rolls his eyes, a movement that's almost second nature to him now whenever he's talking to Hange. "Of course it is."

He follows her out of the loft and across the yard towards his dusty old pickup truck. As they pass the corrals, he glances at the gate to the pasture where a the colts are huddled, waiting to be let in.

Hange spots them too and chuckles as she calls out to them. "Sorry ponies! It's about time you shared Levi with the rest of us!"

She laughs again as she climbs into the passenger seat. Levi, shaking his head climbs in behind the wheel.

 

 

After about 80km of secondary highways and back country roads, Levi begins to wonder if he shouldn't've just stayed in bed.

"Where are we going again?" he asks for the dozenth time. Like all the times before, he's not really expecting an answer, but it's been a while since they last passed another car, and the radio static is grating on his ears.

"Don't worry about it. It'll be fun, I promise." She doesn't bother to even look up from her phone, where she's checking a map or texting or plotting his murder or something like that, her feet planted on the dash.

"I'm not worried," he says, but Hange's not really listening.

The radio gives a loud screech and Levi reaches over and shuts it off.

"Hey, I liked that song," says Hange absently.

"I bet you did," he says. Hange finally looks up at his caustic tone.

"Alright, alright. I can take a hint."

"What-?"

"So," she cuts him off, turning her full attention towards him. "How are your colts doing?"

"Fine."

"You name them all yet?"

"More or less."

They lapse into silence, Levi sullen and unwilling to elaborate, Hange contemplative and seemingly unaware of Levi's foul mood.

"They are doing well aren't they," she comments after a while.

"They're doing well because they've been worked consistently, a little every day for the last month," says Levi. "I should be working them today, but no. Instead I'm driving you around the country side en route to god knows where."

"Oh lighten up. A few days off will do everyone a load of good, she says punching him lightly in the arm. "Take your next left.”

Levi turns onto another back road. They drive on for a few minutes when they pass a sign that says BIG SKY AGRICULTURAL GROUNDS 10 KM. Levi takes his foot off the gas and looks a Hange.

"Hange. Where are we going." It's no longer a question.

"It was going to be a surprise, but if your going to be a baby about it, fine. We're going to the Big Sky Rodeo and Fair. I haven't been since I was- hey!"

Levi brakes, maybe a little harder than necessary, stoping right in the middle of the road.

"You forget something or what?" Hange asks.

"Nope. We're just going back is all," Levi says perfectly calm.

"What? No! I've been planning on going all year!"

"Well, you should have planned to go alone," says Levi, ramming his truck into reverse. "I don't do rodeos."

"It's not just a rodeo, Levi, come on!" Hange is practically begging now. "You don't have to watch the rodeo even, just hang out in the midway or whatever. We're practically there already!"

Levi backs into the approach for a hay field, he reaches for the stick to shift into first, but Hange intercepts him.

"Come on, Levi, please? I haven't been to Big Sky for years, not since my grandpa used to take me. You know, my grandpa who's dead? You wouldn't want to tarnish those innocent childhood memories with your dick move, would you?"

Levi stares at her. "Hange. What the hell."

She gives him her best puppy dog eyes, which are admittedly pretty good, even with those shitty glasses on.

He clenches his jaw and takes a deep breath, his grip tightening on the steering wheel. Then he relaxes, completely deflated. What’s the worst that could happen? It’s an out-of-the-way rodeo. Chances are slim he’ll run into anyone he used to know.

"Fine."

 

 

As soon as they pull into the rodeo grounds Levi wants nothing more than to turn around, to escape back to the ranch. But there’s nothing for it now. Hange leaps out of the truck almost before they’re completely stopped. Levi on the other hand takes as long as he can, putting the brake on, shutting off the ignition, and tucking his keys safely in his pocket. He takes off his hat and replaces it with an old baseball cap he keeps stashed under the seat.

He's dusting off the dash and thinking about maybe washing the windows when Hange bounds back over.

"Levi! Come on already," she says, a little exasperated. "At least pretend to be a little excited. You'll have a good time, I guarantee it!"

"Unlikely," he says quietly, but lets Hange drags him in the direction of the fair anyway.

Truth be told, it's not as horrible as he thought it would be. It's been at least ten years since he was last at any kind of rodeo, and while he does steer clear of the arenas and barns, he'd be lying to himself if he said he didn't miss the atmosphere. There's an energy at these kinds of events that’s not quite like anything else. Of course, he doesn't let Hange know any of this. She's practically bouncing around, dragging him from the ferris wheel to the exhibition hall, seemingly oblivious to her companion's apparent lack of enthusiasm.

Around noon they pick up a couple of greasy midway burgers, the kind that only taste good because you're at a fair, and find a vacant picnic table in the shade. Levi can't help but feel content. Hange is rambling on about any number of things: the midway rides, going back to school in the fall, the round up later this week. Levi half listens, nodding in all the right places, while his other half continues to soak up the atmosphere of the rodeo. He's almost convinced himself that maybe watching the bulldogging or the team roping might be kinda nice.

"Well look who we have here! If it isn't Levi."

Levi nearly chokes on his milkshake. He recognizes that voice, even if he hasn't heard it in years, it haunts him. His own inner voices, the ones that judge him, and shut him down, they have that exact voice. He spins around in his seat to see a tall cowboy sauntering towards them, oversized spurs jingling, silver belt bucket glinting in the midday sun. When the cowboy gets to their table he puts a hand patronizingly on Levi's shoulder.

"I haven't seen you in years, son! Not since that unfortunate accident. Heard you'd quit the business since, but here you are!" He flashes a bright white smile, stretching almost too wide for his face and severely lacking in sincerity.

"Kenny," says Levi by way of greeting, giving his head a slight nod. Kenny's eyes crinkle as he takes that as an invitation to join the them, swinging a leg over the picnic table’s bench. He looks, eyebrows raised, to Hange. Levi takes the hint; he's not completely uncivil after all.

"Hange, this is Kenny Ackerman. He's on the Pro Rodeo Association's board of directors. Kenny, Hange Zoe." Hange and Kenny exchange a firm hand shake, then he turns back to Levi.

"You're still something of a legend down south. Shame you gave up bull riding, but what with the accident -" Levi cuts him off with a chilling look. Hange, for once, remains silent, her eyes wide, absorbing every piece of information like a dry sponge.

"Well, one can hardly blame you," Kenny finishes lamely. They all three sit in a somewhat awkward silence for a moment. Hange's eyes flicker from one to the other like it’s a high stakes tennis game, absently stirring a puddle of ketchup with her last fry.

"Say Levi. Why don't you go for a ride today? Like an exhibition. People would love it," says Kenny. Levi gives him a long hard look. This is a challenge, a test; Kenny wants to have a dick waving contest and he wants Levi to play along. More than anything, Levi just wants to leave, to get back in his truck and drive to a place where no one knows him. Coming to a rodeo was a mistake.

“I’m not sure what purpose that would serve, Kenny, an old wash up like me doing an exhibition,” says Levi.

“Hardly a wash up,” says Kenny. His tone is jovial, but there’s a dangerous glint in his eye. “The kids still talk about you, aspire to be like you one day, even.”

Something inside Levi snaps. He doesn't give two shits if Kenny thinks he’s wimping out, or somehow less than he was all those years ago; he crossed a line. Others might have forgiven the sins of the past, but Levi will never be able to forgive himself, and he’ll never forget.

He suddenly stands up, Hange jumping to her feet a second later.

"Not interested, Kenny. Maybe another time,” he says sharply. “C'mon Hange." He turns away from the table, heading for the parking lot. Hange snatches up her milkshake, stuffs her last fry into her mouth and hurries after him.

At the truck, Levi gets in without a word, fires up the engine and waits while Hange scrambles into the passenger seat. Levi can feel her eyes on him and rolls his own.

"What."

Hange gives a great shrug and looks away. "Nothing."

"Good."

They peel out of the lot just as the rodeo announcer calls the start of the bull riding competition.

 

 

Levi would like nothing more than to spend the entire trip in silence, and while Hange seems willing to follow his lead, the problem is that the route they took to Big Sky is so convoluted that Levi has no hope of being able to replicate it on the return trip. Doesn't keep him from trying though.

When he comes to a stop in the middle of an intersection for the third time, pointedly refusing to even glance Hange's way for directions, she breaks the silence.

"You want me to drive?"

Levi stares straight ahead, watching heat waves rise off the backcountry road, giving the country side a dreamy appearance.

"No one drives my truck except me," he answers after a few moments.

"Okay then," says Hange in a reasonable voice. "I'll just start giving directions, shall I?"

Levi rams his truck back into gear and hits the gas. "Just point or something," he says shortly.

They fly straight through the intersection. After a few moments, Hange pipes up again. "I'm not sure how to point a U turn..." she says.

Levi slams on the breaks, bringing the truck to a skidding halt.

"Dammit!" He clenches his fists and slams them against the dashboard. He hates this. Hates it more than anything. This feeling of being vulnerable. Kenny had always made him feel this way, like he owes him something, even when he was a kid, and it just got worse after everything that happened. He didn't want to feel like that around Hange, too, who had always radiated a strange kind of calm in weird contrast with her somewhat eccentric behaviour. He hates that he's feeling this way now, and that Hange is here to see it, see his weakness, not that it matters really. She's nothing to him. Nothing.

Right?

Hange watches Levi for a few more seconds before trying to speak.

"Look, Levi. I don't know what all is wrong, but if you want to talk about it--"

"Talk about it? Why would I talk about it with you?" His voice is icy, and his words meant to wound. But Hange is completely unaffected by the venom in his voice.

"Because I'm listening," she shrugs.

Levi looks at her for a long moment. It's only been a couple months, but usually that's plenty of time for him to figure someone out; uncover what it is that makes them tick. But not Hange. She's a loose cannon. Unpredictable. How is he supposed to guard against that? Why does she keep trying to wheedle her way in? Why does he let her?

He hangs his head. "Sorry, Hange. I'm an ass."

"Everyone's an ass sometimes, me included," she says indifferently.

Levi shakes his head and starts reversing down the road. "Just get us home, shitty glasses."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm working a different job now, so hopefully I can post the next chapter in a more timely fashion (a chapter every six months is really unacceptable, isn't it?). Also, any comment/criticism/corrections are more than welcome. I struggle to edit my own work because I end up hating it so much. Alas, woe is me.
> 
> Thanks for reading, you rock ;)


	3. In Which Nothing Goes to Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi knows what he'd like to do today, but Hange foils it. Again.

Levi has always been indifferent to cattle at best. There is just something about their nonchalance for shitting all over themselves that doesn't sit well with him. He'd always preferred being around horses, even as a child. As he grew up, he'd taken up rodeo mostly because he was good at it and could make an easy buck. But while training a horse might be more time consuming, he's always found it far more rewarding. Rafter 104 runs over 200 head of Red and Black Angus cows, but Levi was hired to work with the horses. His dream job, no cows involved.

The Big Sky Fair over the weekend had thrown him out of his groove. The only cure, he’s sure, is to get right back to work. His colts have had two whole days off; no doubt a few of the feistier ones will try dish out some trouble.

The early morning sun is struggling to break through heavy clouds when he lets the colts in the corral. He watches them closely as they shoot past him. Most seem the same, but a few have a look in their eyes he's more accustom to seeing in rodeo rough stock. Better start with those.

He's caught up two of the mares, the super athletic black, Mica, and the little blazed face sorrel, Lynx. The names are unofficial of course. Erwin's expressed little interest in the colts aside from their overall progression, but Hange's constant refrain of "What's this one called?" made naming them less annoying than not naming them.

Five minutes in the barn tell him two day off was two days too many for these horses. Mica's tried to bite him twice already, and Lynx nearly kicked his head off when he went to pick up a hind foot. He's about to take them both back to the round pen to refresh them on what manners are when Hange blows into the barn like a hurricane.

"Tut tut, looks like rain!" she calls far too cheerfully. She stands in the doorway, hands on hips, a huge shit-eating grin on her face. They both stare at each other for a few long, slightly awkward moments, though Levi is sure the awkwardness complete escapes her. As per usual.

Finally she gestures to the two horses in the standing stalls. "These the two you’re gonna take today?"

He stares at her blankly. "Take?"

"To gather the cows," she says brightly. Levi continues to stare. Hange folds her arms, clearly impatient with Levi's lack of wits.

"Come on, you know. Out west, we're gathering and sorting today." It's Hange turn to stare. "I was sure I mentioned it at Big Sky, but maybe I forgot, and then, well... we left, annnnd oh well! My bad!"

Yeah. Her fucking bad. Levi opens his mouth but no sound comes out; the screaming is all internal. Had the colts not just had time off, this would be fine. Had he not been an emotional wreck all weekend, this would be fine. Had Hange given him more than five minutes notice, this would be fine. But no.

It's in a sullen sort of silence that Levi throws a saddle on Mica, ignoring yet another of her attempts to maul him. He watches with pursed lips as Hange loads both colts, as well as her own broke ranch horse and Erwin's old steady gray gelding into the trailer. He's in a sort of trance as he climbs into the passenger seat, and Hange pulls out of the ranch, heading due west, so that they can spend all day working god damn cows. 

 

 

Twenty minutes later finds them in some of the most beautiful country Levi's ever seen. The mountains look close enough to touch, but miles of unforgiving foothills lay in between. They pull into a spacious field, surprising flat, all things considered, with aged, yet well maintained corrals large enough and numerous enough to easily work 200 head of cows. Levi takes a deep breath. There's nothing to worry about really. He used to be a rodeo cowboy, after all; what's a colt with a little buck compared to a seriously pissed off bull? The colts he brought are easily two the most talented of the bunch. It could be worse.

Hange parks next to a row of other rigs; local cowboys and ranchers that've come to lend a hand, regardless of the steadily worsening weather. They unload the horses and Levi ties his charges to the trailer, hobbling them for good measure; no sense letting them pick up any bad habits. Once their mounts are secured, Hange grabs his hand and drags him away.

"I'll introduce you to the rest of the crew!"

They go from rig to rig, Hange spouting off names he's guaranteed to forget; Mike, Moblit, Nanaba, Petra, Eld, Gunther, Nile, Oluo. Levi shakes far more hands than he's comfortable with and tries to avoid eye contact as much as possible. Instead he focuses on their assorted horses, from the huge stout chestnut Mike brought, obviously capable of dragging around even the rankest bulls, to the pony type stock horse belonging to Petra, a horse Levi is willing to bet could out run and outlast every other horse here.

Once they finish the rounds, they head back to their own horses, Mike tagging along like an overgrown puppy making small talk with Hange; they've obviously known each other for a long time, and Levi isn't sure how to interpret the sudden inexplicable wish for Mike to go away and never speak to Hange again. He gives himself a mental shake and begins going over his gear, tightening cinches, checking hooves.

"Two horses, Levi?" Mike’s left Hange looking for her rain slicker at the truck. Now he's leaning on Erwin's gelding watching Levi intently. "You planning to out ride everyone today?"

Levi gently returns Mica’s foot to the ground and straightens up. "Hardly. They're just young, I’ll be switching off."

Mike nods, understanding. He's probably brought along plenty of his own horses to know how it works. But his intense stare is slightly uncomfortable to say the least. Finally, "Say, you look familiar. You compete at all?"

Levi clenches a muscle in his jaw and turns back to his horses. "I used too, a long time ago."

"What events? No offense but you're a bit on the small side..."

Levi is about to deliver a biting reply, when Hange joins them, rain slicker in hand. "What're you boys talking about?"

Mike smiles easily, as if Levi hadn't been about to verbally abuse him, and says, "Just trying to figure out which rodeo events Levi competed in."

Hange glances at Levi. Mike might be oblivious, but Hange knows they could be treading in dangerous territory. "Um, rough stock, right Levi?” Then she effortlessly deflects the conversation away from Levi. “Mike's a bulldogger. The bigger the calves the faster his times, right Mike?"

Mike's eyes get all dreamy and far away. "There was this one calf, a Harmon Creek, 1000 pounds-"

Levi stops listening to what is sure to be a thrilling tale of victory, but he can't help the small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. Hange knows him far better than he’s let anyone know him in years.

They’re spared from further retellings of Mike's rodeo prowess by the arrival of Erwin. In no time at all, they're all mounted up and riding up into 900 acres of hills and brush. Mica behaves far better than Levi expected. Keeping the cows moving gives her a job, keeps her focused, and she demonstrates on several occasions to have an abundance of cow sense. Levi finds himself relaxing and trusting his horse; they glide through the bush after wayward cattle, navigating the extreme terrain like seasoned pros.

As they descend one of many hills, Hange and her big bay ride up along side them. Hange is slightly out of breath, and her horse has a good sweat on him despite the cool day. She nods at Mica.

"Your colt's doing fabulous, everybody's saying so," she says.

Levi reaches down and gives Mica a pat on the neck. "She really is. I named her Mica, by the way."

Hange nods slowly. "I like it, suits her. Don't see many horses of the quality she is."

"No, you don't."

They ride in companionable silence for a few minutes, trailing after a dozen cows. The hoots and whistles of the rest of the crew echoing through the hills. A few hundred yards away, Mike and his huge horse crash through the trees, hot on the heels of one of the bulls.

"Sorry about Mike, bringing up rodeo or whatever," Hange says after a while.

Levi takes a moment to process this. Hange has no reason whatsoever to apologise; she has no idea what he has against rodeos, she only knows what she managed to glean at Big Sky, and seeing how he'd refused to talk about his admittedly childish behaviour since, it can't have been much.

"You've nothing to be sorry for, shitty glasses," he says quietly.

"I just know you don't like rodeos, and every conversation inevitably turns to rodeo gossip when Mike's around."

"It'd be a bit naive of me to expect to go unrecognized," he says, giving her a sidelong glance, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "I used to be pretty damn good, you know. A legend, even."

Hange chuckles, looking at him over the top of her glasses. "So I gather."

A cow tries to peel away to the left, Hange clucks to her horse and he lunges after it pushing it back to the main bunch.

"So," she says upon her return. "Was I right? You used to be a rough stock rider?"

Levi shrugs. "Partly. I did do rough stock, and damn was I good, but I usually went for the All Around Champion." Hange's raises her eyebrows. "Nicer buckles," he adds.

Hange laughs. "Okay, did not expect that. What were your other events then, if you don't mind my asking?"

Levi shrugs. "Anything, I did them all."

"Even bulldogging? But you're kinda sho-"

"Size isn't everything, you know," he says cutting her off. "It's all about getting the right leverage."

"I guess you could say that about a lot of thing, eh?"

Levi rolls his eyes, a default reaction. "I guess. Mind you don’t get even more shit on your glasses down there in the gutter."

Hange laughs again, a sound Levi is beginning to enjoy more and more. He almost wishes he could laugh as easily, but for now hearing her laugh, at him, at something he said, it's enough. They continue trailing after the cows, as comfortable in silence as they are in conversation.

By noon, all 200 head are accounted for, safely locked away in the largest corral. Levi pulls his saddle off Mica, who is no longer interested in biting at everything within reach; she seems ready to take a snooze. Levi gives her an affectionate pat. She's proven herself today; no doubt she’s a great ranch horse in the making.

He picks up his saddle and turns to Lynx. The chestnut mare tosses her head, her flaxen forelock falling over her small, bright eyes. Levi purses his lips. It might be too much to hope that the afternoon ride will go as well as the morning.

Lynx stomps her feet as he saddles her up, and she hogs her back as he tightens the cinch; never a good sign. A few of the empty corrals are on the small side, maybe 20m by 20m; the perfect size to move a young horse around in to loosen them up. Not that Levi can't handle a bronc, but he'd rather not eat the dirt in front of a crowd. It's not as fun when there's no prize money involved.

He leads Lynx to the corral and sucks the cinch up tighter still, then sets her loose. Like a canon she explodes, leaping into the air and kicking out, her head low. Levi stays clear but keeps pushing her forward, swinging the lead rope to keep her moving. She carries on for a lot longer than he'd like. He finds himself thinking she'd make for good bucking stock.

Eventually she settles, and he moves her around much like he would in the round pen at home. She's a sharp little mare, obviously remembering everything, every cue and command he's ever taught her, but she only complies about half the time, which is disappointing; the way she can sit and turn on her hindquarter is unreal.

She's got a light sweat on when he signals for her to face him and of course she ignores him for a few strides before actually obeying, trotting into the centre like it was her idea all along. Levi sighs and slowly rubs her forehead, brushing her unruly mane out of her eyes.

"If you want to do it, you're a super star, if you don't, you're a little monster," she says quietly to her. Lynx snorts, decidedly unconcerned with her unpredictable behaviour.

"That was quite a show," says Erwin. Levi glances over to the fence where Erwin, Hange, Mike, and a few others have been watching him work with Lynx.

"Thought I ought to provide some entertainment while you eat your lunches," Levi deadpans.

"Much obliged!" says Mike with a smile, giving a sloppy salute with his half eaten ham sandwich.

With the excitement over and their lunches finished, the crew move back toward their horses, getting ready for the afternoon; retightening cinches, putting bridles back on, donning rain gear as it begins to drizzle. Levi keeps all his movements slow and deliberate as he puts on his own slicker and bridles Lynx. He steps on a she lets out a great sigh, which is nice to hear, but in no way promises an easy ride.

"Is she gonna be alright?" Levi looks up and sees Hange still leaning on the fence.

He rides over to the fence, reaching out and holding onto the top rail as he looks down at Hange. "Probably not. I should have left her at home and brought one of the others. Titan, or Goliath maybe." He shrugs. Too late now to wish for a different horse.

"That was quite the blow up," says Hange reaching through the rails to stroke Lynx's velvety nose.

"She's the kind of horse who'll either take you to the top or kill you. Sometimes they're worth the effort, sometimes not."

"Guess today you'll know, one way or the other."

 "I bet you're right. Just promise me one thing, shitty glasses."

Hange smirks. "What's that, Mr. Clean?"

"When she bucks my ass off, scrape up what's left of me out of the mud, would you?" Levi rides away towards the sorting pens, leaving Hange laughing behind him.

A system is quickly developed for the sorting. One gate for the Red cows another for the Black. Levi might be a cowboy, but his skills working cattle are mediocre at best. He can cut them and move them if they're slow and he's on a good horse, but the cool weather has made the cattle a little fresh, and Lynx is a bit of a live wire. Luckily he gets an easy job: gate duty; just keep the cows that have already been sorted from rejoining the rest of the herd and let newly sorted cows come in.

Piece of cake.

 Well, it should be, anyways.

Lynx is one unhappy camper. Levi wishes he'd taken her to gather; this is the closest to the horse version of a temper tantrum he's seen in a long time. She stomps her feet, and won't stand still for more than half a second; she tries to squash his legs against the fence, tosses her head and kicks at anything that gets to close, whether it be a cow or another horse.

Eventually Mike rides over, keeping a safe distance while still being able to be heard without shouting. "She's a bit of a handful, ain't she."

Levi's not really in the mood for small talk, as Lynx spooks at absolutely nothing, shitty horse. "I hadn't noticed," says Levi through gritted teeth. He takes a hold of Lynx and backs her up until her hindquarter hits the fence.

"Think she'd settle if you got her moving the cows a bit?" Mike asks.

Honestly Levi has no idea if that'd work or not, but it couldn’t be worse than fighting with her here. "Worth a shot."

Mike calls Nile over and he and Levi switch roles. It's still a low pressure job; just keep the cows moving, point A to point B. At first it totally works; Lynx is focused and listening, responding to every cue sharper than any of the other colts ever have. She earns herself a few appreciative whistles from some of the others, Levi even hears Hange distinctive whoop when Lynx pulls off an especially nice stop and turn when one cow tries to turn back on them.

"Atta girl, Lynx," says Levi softly, gently running one hand along her neck.

It only takes another hour or so before they're on the last dozen cows to sort. Lynx is still working well; she feels like a coiled spring ready to leap into action at the subtlest cue. Levi is glad she’s proved herself to not be a complete basket case, but he still can't bring himself to let his guard down.

Erwin pushes the last three cows toward Levi. Lynx responds immediately as Levi guides her in a wide arc to pick the cows up and push them along the fence. That's when she starts swishing her tail. Cows, dumb as they can sometimes be, always know when to take advantage of a situation. In unison, they scatter, and a second later, Lynx blows up; she throws her head down and Levi can feel her tail brush against the back of his head.

"Oh no you don't, you bitch pig," mutters Levi. He grabs a hold of the reins and pulls hard, trying to get her head up and her feet back on the ground. Lynx rears up and leaps forward instead.

Some people say time slows down during things like this, that every little detail comes into sharp focus, but that's not really true. It all happens so fast, every action the result of instinct rather than conscious choice. When he can’t pull her head up with both reins, he drops one and focuses on pulling her head to one side, trying to throw her off balance enough that she has to stop bucking. The next thing Levi knows is a sharp stabbing pain in his leg that make him suck in his breath, but instead of air, all he gets is a mouth full of mud.

He becomes vaguely aware of voices shouting, people saying something, “let go” maybe? Yeah right. He gives his head a little shake and he finds himself still holding one rein, his feet still in both stirrups, but the whole world has gone side ways. He may have hit his head a bit, but when Lynx starts struggling, he realizes that trying to pull her off balance, her refusing to stop, and the slick footing resulted in both of them ending up on the ground. Well. That's far less embarrassing than simply getting bucked off at least.

Lynx thrashes a bit, but with her head bent all the way around to Levi's knee, she can't get to her feet. Instead she just makes Levi acutely aware of how badly his leg hurts, the one pinned under 1200 pounds of horseflesh. In his peripheral he can see people getting off their horses and rushing over. Their help is the last thing he needs.

"Stay back," he calls and sees Mike, who’s closest, falter.

"Just... Just let her get up slow, Levi," says Mike.

Levi shakes his head; if he lets her up she'll probably end up stepping on him, or worse. What he wants is for Lynx to go from laying flat on her side to laying more upright on her sternum. Very carefully Levi gives her her head, a tiny bit, just enough for her to -- there!

The little bit of rein gives Lynx enough freedom to attempt to surge to her feet but as she twists upward, Levi takes back the rein, bending her head back to his knee again, but this time she's right where he wants her, resting on the ground, her legs curled under her body, and both Levi's legs blessedly free. He reaches forward and rubs her forehead. No doubt falling over wasn't part of her plan, and she's probably feeling pretty sheepish at the moment. Shitty horse.

"Bet you'll think twice about doing that again, huh?" he whispers to her. Lynx lets out a huge sigh. Levi would smile, but the throbbing in his leg has him gritting this teeth instead.

"Christ, Levi! I thought you were joking earlier!"

Levi looks up, and sees Hange. She didn't bother getting off her horse like some of the others. She's looking down at him and Lynx, both their left sides coated in mud and shit, and she smirks, her eyes twinkling behind her rain specked glasses.

"Yeah, I did too," says Levi, attempting to wipe some of the mud off his face with a free hand. Hange laughs at him and tosses him her bandana, the one she usually wears around her neck. As he gets the mud out of his eyes, he sees Mike getting back on horse and Erwin and Petra pushing those three renegade cows through the gate. Today had gone pretty well all things considered up until Lynx decided to turn it into a rodeo. It's been a long time since Levi'd rode a horse that bucked that hard, not since --

"You gonna get that nag back on her feet or did you break her for good?"

Levi is glad to be brought back to reality; memory road never leads anywhere pleasant. He throws Hange's now filthy bandana back to her. "Let's find out," he says as Hange laughs and tries to shake the mud off her bandana.

Levi slowly gives Lynx her head back, but she seems content to say right there in the mud; she's definitely sulking now. He shrugs, "Guess I broke her."

"I can jump start her for you, if you like," says Hange, swinging the end of her rein back and forth.

Levi would rather not see how well Lynx reacts to a crack on the ass. "Pass," he says. He nudges her sides with his heels, sending a new shock of pain up his leg. Lynx shifts and grudgingly heaves herself back onto her feet, and shakes her whole body, sending bits of mud everywhere. The movement to almost too much for Levi.

"Hey, you okay?" asks Hange, half reaching towards him.

His face must have given him away, something that doesn't happen often. He turns to her and his usually low, rough voice is a few notes higher. "I'm fine."

"Sure you are. Come on, cowboy, works done here." She leads the way back to the trailers. The rest of the crew has already dismounted and are loading up, making plans for dinner and drinks at the local bar.

Erwin's just loaded his horse onto their trailer when he spots them walking over. "Nice riding, Levi. I doubt I could have hired a better horseman." He give Levi's leg a pat. Unfortunately, it's Levi's bad leg, but it seems only Hange notices him wince. "Go home, clean up, join us for a drink if you feel up to it," says Erwin turning away to talk to Mike and Nile.

Hange slides off her horse and looks up at Levi. "D'you need a hand?"

Yes. Yes he does. But like hell is he going to limp around in front of guys like Mike, and Oluo's been looking at him like he's found a new religion since lunchtime. He sighs. "I'm going to walk Lynx around a bit more, let it quiet down here." Hange nods and Levi rides back to the corrals.

Lucky it's raining; no one lingers for too long. Levi rides back to the trailer as the last rig pulls out onto the highway. Lynx was downright docile as he walked her out, but Levi is sure if he doesn't get his boot off soon he's gonna have to cut it off, and these are his favourite boots.

He walks Lynx up to the cab of the truck where Hange is sitting, heaters full blast, and knocks on the window. She looks up and smiles, rolling down the window. "Need a hand, tough guy?"

Levi rolls his eyes. "Don't patronize me, shitty glasses. Just please hold my goddamn horse while I try to get off."

It's fortunate in the end it was Lynx and not one of the other colts; she's the smallest save one, so as awful as getting off was, it could have been a whole lot worse. While Hange loads Lynx and their gear, Levi leans against the truck and gingerly pulls off his boot. His foot hurts like hell; he's no expert but it's gotta be broken, at the very least.

"That looks all kinds of awful," says Hange. Levi jumps and almost falls in the mud again. Hange just laughs. "Come on, I bet being covered in mud is as painful to you as your leg. Let's go home."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How do you write relationships? What even are relationships? I don't know. What am I doing? I don't know that either.
> 
> Please forgive me. As always, any feedback/corrections/criticisms are welcome and appreciated.


	4. INTERMISSION

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really sorry. I'm kinda stuck on the next few chapters, mostly because, as it turns out, I have no idea how to write relationships. So consider this fair warning for when this fic ultimately devolves into the train wreck for which it is destined to become. 
> 
> Have a crappy photomanip from Chapter 3 by way of apology.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll definitely still finish this, no worries there, it's just gonna take me a while and also probably be kinda awful. We shall see. 
> 
> Thanks to every one who's been reading so far. I've never written anything like this before (ie fanfiction) so I'm learning a lot about the process. Hopefully the next ones will be better planned out and less.... whatever this one is. Ha.


	5. In Which Hange Lends a Hand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi does not handle being hurt very well. It's part of his charm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, Hey! Here it is! The next chapter! I've edited it as much as my eyes and heart can handle, so, as always, forgive my grammatical errors. I'll give it another edit in a couple days.

Of all the places Levi hates, he hates hospitals the most. Maybe that’s not quite true; shopping malls at Christmas can be worse.

Levi likes the _idea_ of hospitals, with all their anti-bacterial scrubs and helping people heal and all, but he’s never had a good experience in a hospital and that makes for a Levi who’s far surlier than usual.

Both Hange and Levi had fully intended to join the others for dinner after they took care of their horses, but the short trip back to the ranch made it abundantly clear that Levi’s leg might need more immediate attention; when he tried to step out of the truck, his ankle gave out, and he found himself sitting in the mud for a second time that day. Great. Hange insisted he stay in the truck while she turned the horses out, which she did in record time. Then she insisted she drive him to the hospital, which, when Levi tried to argue, she gave him a hard look and a kick to his good ankle. He supposed he deserved it.

Then, of course, the emergency room was far busier than either of them anticipated. The pain was getting to Levi and he kept up a constant stream of cursing under his breath. After a couple hours of that, Hange offered give him a more serious fracture; protruding bones usually get immediate attention. Levi declined, and therefore didn’t get in for x-rays until nearly 2 AM.

Now it’s almost three in the morning, and Levi is sitting on an exam table, picking absently at the fraying upholstery, waiting for the final verdict. Hange is slouched in a chair in the corner, her glasses on the brink of falling off her face entirely, her breathing slow and steady.

At least someone’s comfortable, Levi thinks sourly. That’s not really fair though. Hange’s been an absolute saint, he should be nothing but grateful. But pain tends to turn him into an ass.

Well, more of an ass.

After what feels like years of waiting, the door to the tiny exam room finally opens, letting in the doctor, a grim look on his round face and some x-rays in his hand. Hange jerks awake, and is immediately on her feet.

“Dr. Nicholas. Good to see you,” she says formally.

The doctor’s face splits into a smile. “Ah, Ms. Zoe, hope you’ve been well,” he says. “The hospital hasn’t been quite as cheerful without you.”

“Yeah, well... Sorry about that,” she says, shifting a bit uncomfortably on her feet.

“Nonsense, we’re just greedy is all,” he says turning and clipping up Levi’s x-rays and charts. “You have too many talents to settle on something that doesn’t make you one hundred percent happy.” He turns back to her and gives a warm smile.

They both stand there, smiling at each other. It’d would almost be funny, except that Levi is in rather a lot of pain, still covered in far more mud than he’d like to be, and really, who does this guy think he is, smiling at Hange like that. Levi clears his throat as loudly as he can. Both Hange and Dr. Nicholas jump, as if they’d forgotten he was there.

“So, what’s the damage, Doc,” he says curtly.

“Ah, yes, well,” Dr. Nicholas points to the illuminated x-ray. “It seems you fractured the first, fourth, and fifth metatarsals. Good news is the one on the fifth isn’t near the joint, so it should heal just fine without surgery. I imagine you’ve also sprained your ankle pretty badly, based simply on the nature of the accident, but it’s hard to check with all the swelling from the fractures.” He gives Levi a big smile.

It’s more or less what Levi expected, but for whatever reason, he wants to punch Dr. Nicholas in face. Might be the pain, might be that stupid smile, might be the fact that now he’s smiling at Hange again.

“Well, fan-fucking-tastic, Doc,” says Levi and Dr. Nicholas whips his attention back to him, eyes wide and all traces of a smile vanishing. Hange looks torn between being horrified and wanting to laugh. “Hey, listen,” Levi continues, completely serious, “Do you have any bad news? Cause you’re good news is just making me too damn giddy, you know? I might shit myself from joy.”

Laugher wins out, and Hange puts a hand to her face to try to stifle it.

Dr. Nicholas looks flabbergast. He looks from Levi to Hange, and tries to stutter out a reply, but Hange waves him off.

“I’m so sorry, Dr. Nick. Levi doesn’t handle pain well, and it’s way past his bedtime. I’ll get him out of here.”

Dr. Nicholas is still muttering to himself as Hange helps Levi out of the exam room. As soon as they’re out of earshot, she starts laughing again.

“God, Levi, you weren’t kidding when you told me you turn into a right jackass when you get hurt,” she says.

“I never said that.”

“Not those words maybe. I think Dr. Nick is going to be offended ‘til he retires.”

“Sorry, I mean if he’s your friend or -”

“Nah, don’t be. Here.” She helps him into a seat in the waiting room. “I’ll go grab your prescription and whatever else they’re gonna give you, then we’ll get the hell out of here.”

She leaves him alone, making her way to the nurses station. He can see her waving and greeting most of the people working. It’s strange, but hardly anything about Hange surprises him anymore.

She’s back before he can think about it for too long, her arms full of medical paraphernalia. She tosses him a bottle of water and some prescription drugs. “Take two of these right now. You probably want to shower before putting on the brace, so we’ll wait. But here!” she hands him some crutches. “You can get your own ass out to the truck now!”

“Ugh, kill me,” mutters Levi, getting awkwardly to his one good foot and taking the crutches.

“That is what they do to horses in your condition,” says Hange, elbowing him in the ribs. Levi gives her a look that has made lesser men cry, but has no effect on Hange.

“Oh, lighten up. You’ll heal in no time. Come on, let’s go.” She strides out of the hospital, Levi trying, and failing miserably, to keep up.

 

 

Once in the truck, the painkillers blessedly start to kick in. Without the constant throbbing in his leg, Levi finally relaxes, closing his eyes.

“They should have given me these right away,” he says with a sigh. “I might not have been so abrupt with the poor doctor.”

“The poor doctor will be just fine, I’m sure,” says Hange. Even with his eyes closed, Levi can hear the smile in her voice. It makes him bold.

“Did you used to work there, Hange? At the hospital?” he asks. Not that it matters, not that he should care, but for whatever reason, Levi suddenly feels like he hardly knows her at all. It really shouldn’t bother him, but it kinda does. He wants to know her as well as she seems to know him.

Hange doesn’t answer right away and Levi wonders for a moment if that hospital is for her what rodeo is for him.

“Yeah, I did. In what feels like a previous life,” she says after a while. “Dr. Nick was one of my least favourite doctors, to be honest.” She looks at him out of the corner of her eye, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth. “He’s like a creepy Santa Claus.

Levi almost smiles. “Yeah, I got that vibe off him. You were a nurse?”

“Physical therapist. But you know, it just wasn’t for me, so I'm trying something else.”

“That why you're back in school.”

“Yup. I always thought I wanted to help people, but being around that many people all the time made me realize most of them are actually pretty shitty.”

Levi glances at her face. Her expression is impassive and her tone serene, but this is a side of her he hasn’t seen before. He turns away, looking out the passenger window, watching the darkness streak past.

“Yeah, people are shitty,” he says quietly. “You’re not, though.”

Fuck. Why did he say that? God damn meds, god damn sleep deprivation.

Hange just laughs. “Right back at ya.”

As they make the final turn back to the Ranch, Levi doesn’t bother to correct her as to his real level of shittyness; after all all he’s pretty sure he could out-shitty most people.

 

 

“Oh, come on Hange. It’s been a month!”

“I don’t care, Levi, the colts are just fine, and you’d do better to let your foot finish healing.”

“Yeah, but look!” Levi stands up, bearing weight evenly on both feet, his broken foot secured in the brace. He even goes so far as to stomp it a bit, the floorboards of the loft creaking in protest. “Can’t feel a thing,” he says, swallowing a wince, as he sinks back into his seat at the tiny kitchen table.

“Right, sure you can’t,” she says, eyeing him over her glasses. Levi has no doubt that she did in fact notice the wince. She takes a sip of her tea. Hange’s not unreasonable, and Levi knows she is well aware that he was given the okay to start using his foot again.

“Okay, how about this. I’ll only work with four colts a day.”

Hange leans back in her chair, a calculating look on her face. “I dunno, I mean what if one of them steps on your foot? Then where will we be?”

“Are you serious? Hange, I’m pretty sure this space boot could survive being run over by a dump truck.” Hange still doesn’t look convinced.

It’s easily been one of the longest months of Levi’s life. Keeping busy always kept the ghosts at bay. If only Hange knew how much being idle makes him want to throw himself out of the loft window. And with Erwin gone abroad on a business trip, Hange is the final obstacle standing stubbornly in the way.

He reaches across the table, taking both her hand in his. “Please, Hange. You have no idea how crazy not working is making me. Just let me do something, anything!”

Hange manages to maintain her aloof mask for three whole seconds before she cracks.

“Holy shit Levi, your puppy-eyes are on another level!”

“Excuse me?”

Hange throws her head back and laughs. Levi can’t help the slight smile tugging at the corners of his own mouth. He hastily drops her hands. “So… is that a yes?”

Hange, still laughing, gets up, brushing nonexistent dust off her pants. “Yeah, do whatever you want.” She gives him a sly grin. “I just wanted to see you beg.”

Levi’s not sure how to react for a moment. The part of him that thinks this whole situation is beyond ridiculous wins out and he can’t help but smile a little.

“Get out of here, shitty-glasses,” he calls after her.

She just laughs again. “Get back to work, clean-freak!”

 

 

It feels unspeakably good to do something again, to be so utterly distracted by being so completely focused on the unpredictable creatures he has the privilege to work with. He might have had a whole month off, but this right here, in the middle of the round pen, 1200 lbs of muscle and sinew moving at 25 km/h not 5 meters away from him, is the most relaxed and content he’s been since he broke his stupid foot, a fact that’s not lost on Hange.

“You look like a baby angel,” she says the third day he’s back to working with his colts. Like before, she mostly does her own work all day, but frequently stops by to watch for a minute or two.

Levi raises a hand and turns his body away from Titan, a big brute of a palomino colt, who instantly slides to a stop and faces Levi, ears alert, waiting for the next cue.

“How so?” says Levi, not even bothering to look her direction; he can hear the mirth in her voice, he doesn’t need to see her contagious smile to know she’s gearing up for a punchline.

“Well, angel cause you look happier than you have in weeks. Baby cause you’re short.” She barely manages to not snort.

She thinks she’s so hilarious.

“You know,” says Levi, finally turning to look at her, “People have been calling me short since elementary school. It’s kind of old news.”

“That just makes it a classic joke,” she says, completely unfazed.

He turns back to Titan, subtly signalling the horse to come to the centre of the pen. “Most people who’ve called me short mysteriously end up in a ditch somewhere,” he says idly as he slips the halter on.

Hange climbs the fence and perches precariously on the top rail. “I call bullshit.”

“Are you operating under the impression that little old me couldn't hurt a fly? Because that would be bullshit.” He leads Titan over to the fence.

“Oh no, I have no doubt you’d kill a man,” she says, looking down her nose at him. “Just not me.”

Levi snorts, an actual snort, the most embarrassing precursor to legitimate laughter there is, and if that isn’t mortifying enough, Hange’s little fist pump in celebration certainly is.

“Finally made you laugh, huh?” she says. “I think our friendship may have reached a new plateau.”

“I think it’s peaked, actually.”

Hange stares at him for a second before reaching out with her leg and kicking his hat off his head.

“Oh my god!” she laughs. Levi smiles, retrieving his hat from the dirt. Smiling is something that’s coming far more easily than ever before. At least, it is when he’s with Hange.

Over the the course of the next week, Levi spends time with each of the colts. The majority surpass his expectations, like they’ve had no break at all. A few are a bit rowdy, but nothing they don’t work out of.

“Maybe we can ask Mike or one of your other cowboy buddies to come put some rides on them,” Levi says absently to Hange one evening in the shop. Since Erwin left, they’d gotten into the habit of meeting up in the shop at the end of the day; Levi filling out his time card, Hange making a plan for the next day so she doesn’t have to do it tomorrow and can sleep in an extra five minutes.

“Uh, excuse you, what am I? Dog shit?”

Levi looks up, surprised. “No?”

“I can ride just as well as Mike. Better probably, since most horses prefer a woman’s touch,” she says.

“I don’t know about that, I’ve never had a problem with man-hating horses,” say Levi lightly, taking a sip of tea.

“That’s because you’re in touch with you’re feminine side.” Levi chokes on his tea. “So it’s settled then,” Hange continues. “If you want the colts rode, I get to do it.”

 

The next day, Levi finds himself wishing he hadn’t brought up getting someone to ride the colts at all. It wasn’t that he didn’t think Hange could ride well. He knew she was a fantastic horseman; he’d seen her at the round up, he’d taken note (her seat in particular is excellent). And despite her outward appearance of being a bit erratic and high strung, her internal energy is very quiet, very steady, and that’s the energy that the horses really tune into. Levi had worked with dozens of young guys thinking they were going to be the next Monty Roberts, but while they seemed to be calm and cool on the outside, inside, they were a tightly wound spring, and the horses always knew it. Horses never lie.

But as Hange leads the saddled and bridled Hunter to the round pen, he can’t get his stomach to stop tying itself in knots. Hunter doesn't have a single iota of buck in him; he’s far too eager to please for bucking to even cross his mind, but that’s not the point, really. Horses have a mind of their own, anything could happen, and if it did, it would be Levi’s fault. Again.

But everything goes well; Hange and Hunter click almost immediately. Hunter does seem a bit sluggish when responding to Hange’s cues, but it’s probably only him having to adapt to a slightly different way of asking for the same thing. Walk, trot, canter, stops, turns, everything’s looking not too bad, so Levi is a bit confused when Hange stops Hunter suddenly, and looks at Levi in exasperation.

“Do you mind?”

Levi glances around, as if she’s talking at someone else, but he’s the only one around. “What.”

“What d’you mean ‘what,’ go sit on the fence or something, Levi, you’re making this harder for Hunter than it needs to be.”

For a second, Levi is going to deny it, but then he notices Hunter, who even thought he was stopped parallel to the fence has turned himself to face Levi, his ears and eyes, one hundred percent of his focus, trained on Levi. No wonder he hasn’t been quite as responsive to Hange as he had expected him to be. The poor horse is so busy trying to pay attention to both Hange in the saddle and Levi on the ground that it’s affecting his overall performance.

Well.

Levi shrugs and starts backing up towards the fence. Hunter automatically following him. Hange rolls her eyes.

“They’re all so in love with you,” she says, “I feel like a home wrecker.”

“It’s actually probably past time they had someone else working with them,” Levi admits as he slips out the gate. “A one-man horse is hardly useful on a ranch.”

Hange just nods in agreement. She picks Hunter back up, and the change is like a switch being flipped. With no Levi in the ring to divide his attention, Hunter shines, and to Levi’s surprise, Hange has him doing things he’s only just begun to teach him perfectly and effortlessly. Levi had known Hange was good, but he didn’t know she was this good. Why the hell did Erwin hire him when he had Hange right here the whole time?

They end up working with the whole herd, each colt surpassing Levi’s expectations, and reinforcing how exceptional Hange really is. Even Lynx behaves well; maybe there’s something to what Hange said about some horses preferring women.

The sun’s low is the sky when Hange jumps off the last colt, a good natured blue roan named Freckles. Levi leans casually against the the barn, his hands buried deep in his pockets, watching. Hange slowly leads Freckles towards the barn, checking her phone and smiling.

“You treat them like they’re broke already,” Levi calls when she’s in earshot. Hange snaps her head up, still smiling.

“Of course,” she says, tucking her phone back into her pocket. “It’s something I had someone tell me a long time ago: ‘treat them like how you want them to behave.’”

Levi raises and eyebrow. It’s an interesting idea, but he’s not about to tell Hange that. He’s just glad the day is finally over and, more importantly, that nothing happened. Hange leads Freckles into the barn, the young horse’s shod feet ringing on the clean swept concrete. Levi follows without a word, and starts unsaddling as Hange slips on Freckles’ halter.

“Barn sure looks tidy,” says Hange idly as she gives Freckles a quick brush.

“Yeah well, it was a slow day,” says Levi. Truth is it was a _very_ slow day. As Hange worked her way through all the colts Levi had very little to distract him, especially since he convinced himself that watching Hange ride the whole time would ultimately result in the colts acting up and Hange getting hurt, which was stupid so he started sweeping out the barn, which turned into cleaning saddles, oiling bridles, washing windows. Hange just smiles knowingly and leads Freckles out, punching Levi in the arm on her way by.

Levi watches from the barn as Hange turns the horse loose, and heads for the far gate to let the colts out into the river pasture for the night. Levi closes his eye, waiting for the familiar and comforting sound of thundering hooves, a sound that he hears less with his ears and more someplace deep inside.

The colts crest the far hill, disappearing from sight at the same time Hange saunters back to the barn, on her phone once again. She absently hangs up her halter as she finishes up the novel she’s texting to someone, then, shoving her phone into her pocket, collapses onto a stack of hay bales as suddenly as if someone kicked her legs out from under her.

“I’m starving!” She looks up at Levi who remains unreadable. “You wanna go to town and grab a bite to eat?”

No, he’d really rather just eat alone up in his loft like he usually does. But he is also very interested in hearing what Hange thought of the colts. Over dinner is as good a place as any to have a conversation. He shrugs. “Sure.”

Hange claps her hands together. “Okay! The bar has decent food, if a bit on the greasy side, or there’s the Steakhouse, expensive but delicious.”

“Well when you put it that way, the Steak —”

“Oh!” says Hange, cutting him off. “I should probably mention before I forget: we’ve been asked to help at a branding tomorrow.”

Levi’s eyes narrow. “Whose.”

“Mike’s,” she says with a smile. Levi sighs deeply.

“In that case, we’d better go to the bar. I think I need a drink.”

Hange laughs as they head off towards Levi’s truck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What a boring chapter. A lot of inane banter. It was kind of fun to write so hopefully it wasn't too dreadful to read, ha. 
> 
>  


	6. In Which Levi Makes a (Stupid?) Choice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi's more awesome than anyone could've guessed. Who knew?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is! The second to last chapter! Man, I really struggled writing the ending. Hopefully it's not terrible.

Mike’s ranch is something else. The drive is long and lined with evergreens, the barns and house immaculate with that carefully manufactured rustic look that reeks of money. A sign near the house reads PARADISE FOUND. Levi glances at Hange in the driver's seat, eyebrows raised; a guy doesn’t make the kind of fortune this property requires in rodeo.

Hange nods knowingly. “Family money.”

“Ah,” says Levi. “That explains it. I was starting to think I competed in the wrong circuit.”

Hange laughs, “No worries there. Mike loves rodeo and don’t get me wrong, he is pretty good, but I don’t think he can even pay his property taxes with what he makes competing. His family has been in the oil business since dinosaurs roamed the earth, and he runs his cow-calf operation mostly for the tax breaks, but he’s still a really down to earth, all around good guy, you know?”

“Wow,” says Levi, “is he by chance single?”

Hange laughs again as they pull into a large gravel lot and park next to a row of other rigs. “He’s taken, unfortunately, but you’re such a heartbreaker, Levi, I bet you could steal him away.”

They both jump out of the truck, Levi wincing as his feet hit the ground. While it’s true that he’s healed faster than most people, six weeks isn’t nearly long enough to recover from a broken foot, but no way in hell was he about to wear that space boot in front of this crowd.

It’s not that Levi doesn’t like Mike. It’s like Hange said; he’s a really good guy, not a mean bone in his body. But it’s like he’s a giant puppy, and Levi has never been a big fan of dogs. Levi can work with Mike, he can be civil, but he’s never going to be his best friend.

Hange already has their two horses unloaded by the time Levi hobbles to the back of the trailer; two colts that really need some exposure to hopefully help them grow out of their goofiness.

“You sure this is a good idea? I mean there’s plenty of jobs to do on the ground, you don’t have to ride.”

“I’d sooner break my other foot,” he says, taking the lead of the smaller of the two colts.

 

Levi hasn’t been to very many brandings, but of the ones he has been to, Mike’s is on another level. If these guys would just buckle down and work, they’d be done in a few hours. But no. They take breaks every 20 minutes, then they go off to the riding arena and rope a few steers. It’s just a big game to them. Which, Levi realizes belatedly, is probably the point; this is a social event for these clowns. So why is he even here?

He slides his horse up next to Hange, who’s been parked next to the gate for over an hour.

“Hey, d’you think we’ll finish sometime before dark?”

Hange gives him a thoughtful look, shades her eyes to glance at the sun, then looks over the herd of cattle yet to be worked. “Not likely.”

Levi takes his hat off and runs his free hand through his damp hair. “Why the hell are we even here.”

“I’m not too sure, actually,” says Hange to Levi’s surprise. “Mike told me he was short handed, but there’s at least a half dozen guys who done jack shit so far. And that’s not counting us.” She reaches down and gives the young mare she’s riding a pat. “This girl’s being very good, though. When you said she was a goof ball, I was expecting the worst.”

Levi snorts. “That’s ‘cause you gave her that handful of oats, don’t think I didn’t see that. She’s hoping good behaviour gets her more.”

“And she’d be totally right!” Hange grins. Levi just rolls his eyes and shakes his head.

They sit in companionable silence for a while; they’re far enough from any of the action that the peaceful sounds of the prairie washes over them. The colts are happy enough, occasionally trying to playfully nip each other, but they keep they’re feet still. Levi can’t really ask for more than that. With these two, reprimands for a lot of their silly behaviour would just stifle their personalities. Every barn needs a couple of oodball horses, right?

Levi’s horse-watching, which is a lot like people-watching, but better because they're _not_ people. He enjoys seeing the kinds of horses other people choose for themselves. He notices an older gentleman riding a sleek golden palomino gelding, a horse clearly not ranch raised; looks more like he was trained for the performance ring judging by the way he moves and carries himself.

Levi nods toward the man, who’s chatting with a few other ranchers. “Say, who’s the old guy on that nice yellow horse?”

Hange follows his gaze. “Oh, that, uh, you know -” she snaps her fingers a few times, “what’s his name. Big horse guy from up north, he comes down here in the summers to buy young stock for his performance barn…” She looks at Levi.

“I don’t know. That’s why I asked you.”

“It’ll come to me in a minute.”

“Well, don’t strain yourself,” says Levi sitting up straighter in his saddle. “Here he comes.”

Hange whips her head around so fast her glasses slide to the tip of her nose. Sure enough, the mystery horse trader is riding their way.

Once he’s within hailing distance he calls out. “You must be the famous Levi!”

Levi tenses immediately. Who’s this guy been talking to? But then the man continues, “Erwin’s excellent new horse trainer.”

Levi awkwardly clears his throat. “I don’t know about famous, sir, but yes, I’m working for Mr. Smith at the moment.”

The man stops his horse directly in front of them, and chuckles. “For the time being, eh?”

Levi makes a conscious effort not to glance at Hange as he replies, “For the foreseeable future.”

“Well, should the future become unforeseeable, I’ll have to bring you up north with me! I’ve heard nothing but great things about the band of colts you’re starting for Erwin.”

Levi ducks his head modestly; he’d never been one for the spotlight. “It’s a highly trainable group of horses, sir.”

“Zackly, call me Zackly, young man. And even the finest horse can be ruined in the wrong hands. You have a gift, it’s good to see talented young men putting their gifts to use.” He smiles broadly, then turns his attention to Hange.

“Miss Zoey!” he booms, and Levi can see Hange wince slightly out of the corner of his eye. “How’s your father these days?”

Hange smiles tightly, “Up to his elbows in silage and manure, as usual.”

Zackly laughs heartily. “Very good, very good. Say hello to him for me.” He shift his weight and ever so slightly raises his rein hand; subtle cues that get an instant response from his horse. “Give me a call if you every have time to train a few more horses, Levi,” he says as he rides off.”

Hange watches him ride off, frowning slightly. “Zackly. Can’t believe I forgot his name.” She shrugs, completely over her memory lapse already.

“He did seem to know you pretty well,” Levi says.

She hums a little, “My family maybe. We have a Dairy, you know. Years ago my dad would buy horses from him.”

“Not anymore?”

“Nah. You don’t need horses to run a dairy farm.”

They watch Mike wrestle a calf, nearly getting a foot to his face.

“Nice he wants you to train some horses for him, though,” says Hange after a while.

Levi shrugs. “Maybe. I’m probably going to be busy with Erwin’s horses for a while. Why don’t you call him.”

“Yeah, Zackly’s a nice enough dude and all but he’s… well, a little bit sexist.”

Levi grunts. “Most men are. Their loss.”

“Tell me about it,” she says darkly.

Levi had thought it a bit strange that this top horseman, clearly very successful, would offer him work based solely on word of mouth. He didn’t know Levi from a pile of manure, and Levi had certainly never trained a horse for high level performance before. But Zackly has know Hange for years, probably watched her ride his horses, watched her show them in 4-H or pony club or something. There was no doubt in Levi’s mind she is every bit as good a horseman as he is. Better maybe. Her style has finesse, whereas Levi’s is a little more rough around the edges.

 

Around five, they all take a break for supper. Steak, of course. Alcohol flows freely and Levi can’t help but look pointed out to the pasture where at least 40 calves still wait their turn for the branding iron.

This doesn’t escape Hange notice. “Yeah, they won’t be doing anymore today,” she says as she takes a seat at Levi’s picnic table. “Not now they’ve brought out the keg.”

Levi jerks his head up. Sure enough a barrel is being hoisted onto a table to raucous cheers. “Does no one take work seriously around here?”

“Not the ones who don’t earn a living from it.”

Supper is winding down when Levi makes his fatal mistake. He’s just decided that, as long as the food’s free, he might as well help himself to another steak. As he walks towards the barbeque, he passes Mike’s table, where he is, unsurprisingly, telling some undoubtedly trilling rodeo tales. Levi’s nearly past them when a hand shoots out and grabs his elbow.

“This guy! This guy’s a rodeo star! Right Levi? Ain’t that right?”

Levi can’t remember the name of the guy who has his sticky beer covered hand on his shirt, which is probably for the best. Levi tries to only cuss out people whose name he knows; it allows for more creative profanity when you can in corporate their name, and maybe their mother’s name too. But seeing as swearing isn’t really an option, he just nods a little absently, and starts to pull away. That’s when Mike chimes in.

“Yeah, used to do the all around, right Levi? Little bit of everything. What was your best score on a bull?” There’s no way Mike isn’t at least a little drunk, but the challenge in his voice tells a different story.

Levi manages to pull his arm out of Sticky-fingers grasp, and makes a show of brushing off his sleeve. His eyes scan the group of men, most of whom are much bigger then him. Looking at their faces he realizes that they don’t believe him; they think he’s a liar. The logical part of Levi’s brain tells him that’s fine, in fact it’s probably for the best; he’s never going to rodeo again anyways. But the other part of his brain, the one that remembers the faces of the kids who looked up to him, that knows how disappointed they would be if they knew a bunch of hobby cowboys dared to think him anything less than the best.

Levi struggles with himself for a moment, but pride wins out. He clenches his jaw and spits right next to Sticky-finger’s boot. “I’ve set six records, three of which are as of yet undefeated. One of them’s my bull riding score.” He looks Mike dead in the eye. “98 points.”

Mike’s eyes narrow ever so slightly, and a slow smile spreads across his face. “Gunter! Chase in Mad Max! We got ourselves a bull riding contest!”

Every fibre of Levi’s being told him this was the stupidest thing he’s ever gotten himself into. But even as he throws a glance towards Hange, who’s slowly getting to her feet, eyes wide and mouth slightly open, even as he let's the throng of drunken cowboys hustle him to Mike’s bucking shoots, a small part of him can’t wait to get back on a bull.

 

One thing about Mike is that he does not dilly dally when it comes to a competition. Not five minutes after his proclamation of a friendly contest, Mike’s enormous black bull, Mad Max, is in the shoots, eyes wild, lunging back and forth, making an unholy racket. Levi can’t help but admire the beast. Well over a solid tonne of raw power, muscle, and rage rolled into one magnificent creature.

Of course Mike goes first, which is fine with Levi. He finds a spot to watch from behind the shoots, careful to keep out of Hange’s sights; she’s sure to try to talk him out of his momentary lapse in reason.

Mad Max is a force of nature. Levi’s impressed Mike even owns him; good bucking stock is worth a small fortune. Levi notes in the half dozen seconds a bull ride takes how Mike rides; he’s not bad, but he lacks technique, he uses his size, his height and weight to make up for a decided lack of style. Levi would be surprised if he ever scored more than 80 points on a ride. But Mike lasts the required 8 seconds and is promptly scooped off Mad Max’s back by a pick up rider. It takes Levi a second to remember he’s up next.

Levi’s behind the shoots, in a secluded corner, strapping on some borrowed spurs and wondering how the hell Mike thinks this body protector is going to fit him when Hange finally finds him.

“So you’re really going to do this, eh, tough guy?” she asks, jaw set, arms folded over her chest.

“I am.”

“Levi, this is stupid.”

“I’m well aware.”

“I mean, I know you’re healing really fast, but you’re not a hundred percent.”

“You’re completely right.”

“You’re just letting Mike and the guys get to you.”

“That’s probably true.”

“You’re just going to get hurt.”

“It’s a distinct possibility.”

“So why the hell are you doing this?”

Levi is silent for moment. Hange is right; she generally is. He knows full well it’s stupid, oh boy does he ever. Levi may have been something of a prodigy rodeo star, but that was years ago, and he hasn’t even set foot near a bull in a long time. There is a very slim chance that this will end well. He just can’t seem to outrun his past, no matter how far or how fast he runs, it’s always there, waiting to swallow him whole and drag him back down into his own personal hell. So what’s the point of running any more?

Plus, his pride can only handle so much of Mike’s smug face.

He gives his head a shake, and jerks the velcro of the body protector as tight as it will go.

“I know. I know it’s stupid. I’m kind of a stupid guy, if you haven’t realized. And there are some stupid things I’ve done that can’t be undone, but to let these guys disrespect me, disrespects people who…knew me…” he trails off lamely. He looks up at Hange. Her brow is furrowed, eyes worried. About him? Why? What has he done to deserve her worry, her care?

“You won’t change my mind, Hange. I’m doing this.”

Hange snorts and shakes her head a little. “I didn’t really think I could. Just wanted to make sure you knew you’re being an idiot.”

“Sometimes I do need reminding.”

“Well, you can count on me.” She turns away. “You know, if you ever need to talk, I’m a pretty good listener.” Then she’s gone, leaving him alone behind the shoots.

The actual ride is a blur, as if Levi’s subconscious blocked it immediately from his memory. He vaguely remembers getting on, the clank of the gate as it’s thrown open, the familiar feeling in his stomach, like he’s riding a roller coaster, a feeling he’s always had no matter how many bulls he rides. He remembers feeling solid, unshakeable, then his internal clock telling him to bail. He remembers thinking of his broken foot and instead of landing on his feet, like he’d been famous for in the past, doing a tuck and roll, the taste of dirt in his mouth, his hat flying off, people shouting, cheering, the pick up riders rushing past him to block Mad Max from charging him as he gets to his feet. Hands reach out to him, helping him up, clapping him on the back, dusting him off, shaking his hand.

Levi finds himself dissociating from the whole scene, watching it unfold as if from someone else’s eyes. He notices Mike and a few others talking amongst themselves, looking at something on their phones. Instant replay maybe? Somehow Levi doubts it. He’s really only concerned about one person’s reaction and that person is —

“Well, you’re still an idiot, but not gonna lie, you’re also freakin’ awesome.”

Levi smiles as he turns around to face Hange. “I know,” he says with a shrug.

“That you’re and idiot or that you’re awesome?”

“Both.”

Hange laughs and jams his lost hat, still full of dirt, back onto his head. Ugh. Few things are as unpleasant as the feeling of sand trickling down the back of your shirt.

“God dammit, Hange.”

She just laughs again. “Come on, you just beat Mike at his own game, it’s a cause for celebration!”

Levi gives up on his fruitless attempts to get the sand out of his shirt in favour of rolling his eyes. “First off, Mike’s not even a player in this game, and second, I don’t like how you celebrate.”

Hange furrows her eyebrows. “How d’you mean?”

“Seriously? Throw confetti or something, no body likes dirt down their f—”

“No, no,” she cuts him off, “I mean about Mike.”

“Oi, Levi!”

Speak of the devil. Mike and a few of his buddies heading straight for them. Levi heaves a big sigh.

“Well, you beat me, no doubt, but come on! I’m only human! Not a very fair contest don’t ya think?”

“If you’ll recall, you’re the one you wanted a contest in the first place. Plus I’d told you my best score,” says Levi with a shrug.

“Yeah. And that’s how I found this.” Mike holds up his phone, a video of a pretty flawless bull ride flashing across the screen. “You’re Levi Ackerman for Christ’s sake!”

The small crowd that’d gathered breaks out in chatter. “Mike didn’t stand a chance!” “Can I get your autograph? It’s for a friend.” “I thought you were dead!”

Levi doesn’t pay too much attention; instead he looks over at Hange. She looks back and shrugs at him. Clearly the name Levi Ackerman means next to nothing to her. Thank God.

When he hubbub dies down a bit, Mike reaches out a hand and put is gently on Levi’s shoulder. “Hey, just wanted to say, I was sorry to hear about those kids —”

“You know,” Levi cuts him off, speaking way louder than usual, “I’m beat. Out of practice and all that. We’d better go.”

Levi grabs Hange by the hand and drags her away, trying his best to not break in to a run.

Back at the truck, Levi’s not too surprised to find their two horses managed to untie themselves, but luckily the allure of green grass was too strong; they didn’t go far.

“These are two of the most food motivated horses I’ve ever trained,” says Levi as they lead them back to the truck.

“Yeah,” says Hange after a moment. “They really are a funny pair, but I like them. They’re honest.”

She doesn’t say anything else, but Levi can feel the silent accusation hanging in the air between them. How many times now has she offered to talk? To listen?

He’s really fucked it up this time, no doubt. How did it get like this? For almost ten years, he’s been able to stay under the radar, a nobody without a last name. And that’s how he liked it. The spotlight had never been his goal. He only ever wanted to be just Levi.

But now? Now that might not be an option any more. Before working at Rafter 104, Levi would not describe himself as having any friends, but now that would be a lie. He’s not sure what it is, but there is something between himself and Hange, something he doesn’t want to lose. And even if he has to face his past to keep it… well, that’s what he’ll do.

“Hey, Hange?”

She finishes latching the door on the trailer, the horses safely loaded, but doesn’t look at him. “Hmm?”

“You know how you offered to talk?”

She looks over at him, “Yeah.”

“When we get back to the ranch, after we take care of the horses, do you think you’d have time…?”

Hange chuckles. “It’s not really something you need to schedule, Levi. But I’ll check my calendar, I might be able to squeeze you in.” She laughs at her own wit as she climbs into the truck.

Levi rolls his eyes and get in the passenger side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, allow me to apologise for the spelling/grammar fails that are surely present. And everything else too. I'm just sorry for everything. But thanks for reading anyways!


End file.
